´óÏó´«Ã½

Explore the ´óÏó´«Ã½
This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving.

24 September 2014
Human Body & MindScience & Nature

´óÏó´«Ã½ Homepage

In Human Body & Mind:


Contact Us

You are here: ´óÏó´«Ã½ Science > Human Body & Mind > The Body > Muscles
Fact files

Muscles - Structure and contraction

Muscle cells: Rod-shaped cells packed full of thinner fibres called myofibrils

Contraction: Muscle cells get shorter (contract) in response to nerve impulses

Structure

Your skeletal muscles are made up of bunches of elongated, rod-shaped cells called muscle fibres. Each of your muscle cells is packed full of thinner fibres called myofibrils. These fibres contain protein filaments, called thick and thin myofilaments, which slide against each other when a muscle contracts.

Contraction

In a relaxed muscle, thick and thin myofilaments overlap each other a tiny bit. When a muscle cell is stimulated by a nerve impulse, these myofilaments slide past each other until they completely overlap. This makes the muscle cell shorter and fatter. The more shortened muscle cells there are in a muscle, the greater the contraction of the muscle as a whole.

Back to top


Related Links






Science HomepageÌý|ÌýNature Homepage
Wildlife FinderÌý|Ìý±Ê°ù±ð³ó¾±²õ³Ù´Ç°ù¾±³¦Ìý³¢¾±´Ú±ðÌý|Ìý±á³Ü³¾²¹²ÔÌýµþ´Ç»å²âÌý&²¹³¾±è;Ìý²Ñ¾±²Ô»åÌý|ÌýSpace
Go to top



About the ´óÏó´«Ã½ | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy
Ìý